Sergey Brinhttp://www.businessinsider.com/category/sergey-brin
en-usFri, 18 Aug 2017 01:43:39 -0400Fri, 18 Aug 2017 01:43:39 -0400The latest news on Sergey Brin from Business Insiderhttp://static3.businessinsider.com/assets/images/bilogo-250x36-wide-rev.pngBusiness Insiderhttp://www.businessinsider.com
http://www.businessinsider.com/larry-page-alphabet-google-life-career-photos-2017-8The fabulous life of Google cofounder and Alphabet CEO Larry Page (GOOG, GOOGL)http://www.businessinsider.com/larry-page-alphabet-google-life-career-photos-2017-8
Fri, 04 Aug 2017 09:00:00 -0400Avery Hartmans
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/586bf76dee14b62b008b6390-2400/undefined" alt="Larry Page" data-mce-source="Andrew Kelly/Reuters" /></p><p>Larry Page is one of the most powerful people in the world.</p>
<p>The quirky, soft-spoken computer scientist cofounded Google with Sergey Brin in 1998 and now, almost 20 years later, still runs its parent company, Alphabet.&nbsp;</p>
<p>So who's the man behind Google and how did he get to where he is today?</p>
<p>Here's his story.</p>
<p><em>Jillian D'Onfro contributed to an earlier version of this story.&nbsp;</em></p><p><strong>DON'T MISS:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/sergey-brin-google-alphabet-life-photos-2016-12" >The crazy, eccentric, successful life of Google cofounder Sergey Brin</a></strong></p>
<h3>Gloria and Carl Page had their second son, Lawrence, on March 26, 1973. They both taught computer science at Michigan State University and filled their home with computers and tech magazines that enthralled Larry from a very young age.</h3>
<img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/56e971b991058436008b6b8b-400-300/gloria-and-carl-page-had-their-second-son-lawrence-on-march-26-1973-they-both-taught-computer-science-at-michigan-state-university-and-filled-their-home-with-computers-and-tech-magazines-that-enthralled-larry-from-a-very-young-age.jpg" alt="" />
<br/><br/><h3>They enrolled him in a Montessori school. Such programs are known to foster independence and creativity, and Page now credits "that training of not following rules and orders, and being self-motivated and questioning what's going on in the world" as influencing his later attitudes and work.</h3>
<img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/56e9f0d69105844d018b6e82-400-300/they-enrolled-him-in-a-montessori-school-such-programs-are-known-to-foster-independence-and-creativity-and-page-now-credits-that-training-of-not-following-rules-and-orders-and-being-self-motivated-and-questioning-whats-going-on-in-the-world-as-influencing-his-later-attitudes-and-work.jpg" alt="" />
<p><p>Source:&nbsp;<em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0C_DQxpX-Kw">YouTube</a></em></p></p>
<br/><br/><h3>At 12, Page read a biography about the brilliant inventor Nikola Tesla, who died in debt and obscurity. The ending made him cry, and inspired Page to not only want to build world-changing technologies, but to have the business sense to know how to spread them. "I figured that inventing things wasn't any good," he has said. "You really had to get them out into the world and have people use them to have any effect."</h3>
<img src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/56e966b891058426008b6a32-400-300/at-12-page-read-a-biography-about-the-brilliant-inventor-nikola-tesla-who-died-in-debt-and-obscurity-the-ending-made-him-cry-and-inspired-page-to-not-only-want-to-build-world-changing-technologies-but-to-have-the-business-sense-to-know-how-to-spread-them-i-figured-that-inventing-things-wasnt-any-good-he-has-said-you-really-had-to-get-them-out-into-the-world-and-have-people-use-them-to-have-any-effect.jpg" alt="" />
<p><p><em>Source: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/larry-page-the-untold-story-2014-4">Business Insider</a>, <a href="http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/pag0int-1">Achievement.org</a></em></p></p>
<br/><br/><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/larry-page-alphabet-google-life-career-photos-2017-8#/#besides-tinkering-with-electronics-page-also-played-saxophone-growing-up-and-he-once-told-fortune-that-his-musical-training-in-part-led-to-the-high-speed-legacy-of-google-apparently-he-also-tried-to-pick-up-percussion-in-the-last-few-years-4">See the rest of the story at Business Insider</a> http://www.businessinsider.com/google-larry-page-sergey-brin-eric-schmidt-burning-man-stealing-fire-flow-state-2017-7Here's why Google went to Burning Man to find its next CEOhttp://www.businessinsider.com/google-larry-page-sergey-brin-eric-schmidt-burning-man-stealing-fire-flow-state-2017-7
Fri, 28 Jul 2017 06:16:00 -0400Joe Avella and Kevin Reilly
<p>Steven Kotler is a performance expert and the coauthor of "<a href="http://amzn.to/2pdd4qO">Stealing Fire</a>." In this video, Kotler explains why Google relies on creating group-flow states, and how Larry Page and Sergey Brin used Burning Man to find the right CEO. Following is a transcript of the video.</p>
<p><em>Google used Burning Man to find a CEO because they were interested in finding a CEO who's familiar with group flow.</em></p>
<p><em>So one of the things that </em>happens<em> at Burning Man — and there's recent research out of Oxford that sort of backs this up — is that Burning Man alters consciousness in a very particular way and it drops people into a state of group flow.</em></p>
<p><em>So, flow is a peak-performance state. It's an individual performing at their peak. Group flow is simply a team performing at their peak, and everybody has some familiarity with this. If you’ve ever taken part in a great brainstorming session, where ideas are kind of bouncing everywhere — you're really reaching ripe, smart conclusions.</em></p>
<p><em>If you’ve seen a fourth-quarter comeback in football. If you saw what the Patriots did in the Super Bowl. That’s group flow in action.</em></p>
<p><em>Google has relied very heavily since their inception on creating group-flow states. And when they were looking for a new CEO, they needed a way to screen for this, and it doesn't show up on most resumes.</em></p>
<p><em>They had a long history with Burning Man. From the very beginning, Larry and Sergey have been kind of rabid attendees. The center atrium at Google for years was decorated with pictures of Googlers at Burning Man, spinning fire, doing various things.</em></p>
<p><em>They had blown through and alienated like 50 different CEOs in the valley they tried to interview, and they found out that Eric Schmidt had actually been to Burning Man. So they bumped him to the top of their list, they took him to Burning Man to see how he would do. They wanted to know was he going to be able to let go of his ego, merge with the team, or was he going to stand in its way? And it turns out he passed the test, and the result is one of the most pivotal CEO hires in the modern era.</em></p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/google-larry-page-sergey-brin-eric-schmidt-burning-man-stealing-fire-flow-state-2017-7#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/google-cofounder-sergey-brin-quietly-attends-tech-open-air-berlin-2017-7Google cofounder Sergey Brin made a rare appearance at a tech conference in Berlin that his girlfriend was talking at (GOOG)http://www.businessinsider.com/google-cofounder-sergey-brin-quietly-attends-tech-open-air-berlin-2017-7
Wed, 19 Jul 2017 10:05:51 -0400Sam Shead
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/596f674c9d091823b9094f73-1600/sergey brin at toa 2017 - image copyright dan taylor - dandantaylorphotographycom-2.jpg" alt="Sergey Brin at TOA 2017" data-mce-source="Dan Taylor" /></p><p>Google cofounder Sergey Brin secretly attended a technology conference in Berlin last week.</p>
<p>The search engine billionaire visited the <a href="https://toa.berlin/conference/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Tech Open Air</a> conference &mdash; held at <a href="http://www.soundonsound.com/people/funkhaus-berlin-studio-tour" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">FunkHaus Berlin</a>, once the broadcast headquarters for the German Democratic Republic (GDR) state radio &mdash; last Thursday and listened to a <a href="https://toa.berlin/talks/nicole-shanahan-clearaccessip-sentence-blah-blah-blah-yay-tech-open-air-wooh/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">talk given by ClearAccessIP founder and CEO Nicole Shanahan</a>, who is <a href="http://www.cnbc.com/2017/03/31/google-co-founders-and-silicon-valley-billionaires-try-to-live-forever.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">believed to be his girlfriend</a>.</p>
<p>Brin also spoke on one of the conference's smaller stages, taking part in an AMA (Ask Me Anything) session that was attended by 20 people who happened to be around by chance, according to a source.</p>
<p>In addition, he attended a number of <a href="http://toa.berlin/5318008octoa17" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">exclusive events for VIPs</a>, the source said. VIP events on offer included a private dinner and a party co-hosted by SoundCloud cofounder Eric Wahlforss and his wife.</p>
<p><img src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/596f7b8d56152c218f4d1658-846/screen shot 2017-07-19 at 163046.png" alt="Nicole Shanahan" data-mce-source="YouTube/Tech Open Air" /></p>
<p><img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/596f674c9d091823b9094f71-1422/sergey skitch 12.png" alt="Sergey Brin Tech Open Air Berlin" data-mce-source="Dan Taylor" /></p>
<p>The timing of Brin's Berlin visit is interesting given <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/how-music-streaming-service-soundcloud-ended-up-on-brink-of-existence-2017-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">everything that's going on SoundCloud</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/google-mulling-soundcloud-buyout-say-whispers-sony-universals-stakes-revealed/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Music Business Worldwide reported in January</a> that Google was mulling an acquisition of SoundCloud that was likely to be in the order of $500 million (&pound;386 million).</p>
<p>It's unclear if Brin attended the SoundCloud party on Thursday, which took place at a venue called Jackie O Berlin, which is in some woods on the outskirts of the city.</p>
<p>However, he wasn't seen at the conference on Wednesday to listen to SoundCloud CEO Alex Ljung explain the rationale for the latest job cuts at SoundCloud. It's possible he met Ljung separately though, as he was in Berlin for three days in total, according to a source.</p>
<p>A SoundCloud employee told Business Insider last week that SoundCloud made the job cuts "before they become redundant in an upcoming acquisition or merger."</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/google-cofounder-sergey-brin-quietly-attends-tech-open-air-berlin-2017-7#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/ai-video-editing-fake-obama-talking-doctored-footage-2017-7">Researchers created fake footage of Obama speaking — and the results are scary</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/sergey-brins-blimp-will-deliver-aid-be-a-luxury-air-yacht-report-2017-5Sergey Brin's secret blimp will be a luxury 'air yacht' and be used to deliver humanitarian aid, report sayshttp://www.businessinsider.com/sergey-brins-blimp-will-deliver-aid-be-a-luxury-air-yacht-report-2017-5
Fri, 26 May 2017 19:08:39 -0400Julie Bort
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/565628b0c28144ba018b59b9-2400/rtx1tuou.jpg" alt="Sergey Brin" data-mce-source="Yudhi Mahatma/Antara Foto/Reuters"></p><p>More details are leaking about Google co-founder&nbsp;<span>Sergey Brin's secret quest to build a giant&nbsp;airship.</span></p>
<p><span><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-04-25/with-secret-airship-sergey-brin-also-wants-to-fly">Bloomberg broke the news</a>&nbsp;last month that Brin was working on a secret blimp project at Moffett Field. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/lta-research-and-exploration-llc-is-likely-the-name-of-sergey-brins-blimp-project-2017-4">Business Insider subsequently reported</a> that Brin's&nbsp;company was called LTA Research &amp;&nbsp;Exploration and that it has been leasing space from Google parent company Alphabet.&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span>Now anonymous sources tell The Guardian that the ship is being personally funded by Brin at an estimated cost of over $100 million.&nbsp;The blimp is expected to be massive in both scale and grandeur — something like&nbsp;200 meters long. That's not as big as the famously unfortunate&nbsp;Hindenburg, <a href="http://www.airships.net/hindenburg/size-speed/">which was 245 meters</a>. But some say it would&nbsp;be among the biggest aircraft flying the skies today, and possibly the biggest.</span></p>
<p><span>These sources expect that Brin plans to use it to bring humanitarian food and supplies to the far corners of the world. And they also expect him to&nbsp;use it as luxurious "air yacht" for the billionaire and his family and friends to enjoy, according to the report.</span></p>
<p><span>Brin declined common&nbsp;on the original Bloomberg story, nor did he comment on the Guardian&nbsp;story and Alphabet declined comment to Business Insider as well.</span></p>
<p><span><img style="float:right;" src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/52e2c08569bedd766bf141c7-1988/raytheon-jlens-blimp-security.jpg" alt="raytheon jlens blimp security" data-mce-source="Raytheon" data-link="http://www.raytheon.com/capabilities/products/jlens/">Brin is said to be fascinated with air travel. The unit he oversees at Google's parent company Alphabet is working on all kinds of aircraft, including balloon type crafts. Brin is the executive champion of the unit formerly called Google X, now calling itself simply X.</span></p>
<p><span>Earlier this week, the unit gave updates on several of its projects including&nbsp;</span><span>Project Loon, which delivers internet connectivity to remote regions using balloons.<a href="https://blog.x.company/helping-out-in-peru-9e5a84839fd2"> Loon is being</a> used by tens of thousands of people in flood-affected zones in Peru, X says. That's the first time that balloon-powered internet has been used to connect so many people.</span></p>
<p><span>X also has a project called Makani that's trying to generate electricity from an energy kite. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=An8vtD1FDqs&amp;feature=youtu.be">Earlier this month</a>, it had a successful prototype test of the kite, which X says is the largest ever of its kind at 600 kilowatts.&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span>And then there's Project Wing, the unit's drone delivery project. Although we've reported on this project's troubles and set-backs, it was also called out as a project to watch by Alphabet CEO Larry Page in his annual <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/read-alphabet-ceo-larry-page-2016-letter-to-shareholders-2017-4">letter to shareholders in April.</a></span></p>
<p><span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/ex-military-contractor-google-x-employee-collapsed-on-the-job-2017-3">As we previously reported,</a> Brin is actively involved at X and even has his own desk installed in some of the projects, like Wing. So, when it comes to objects that fly,&nbsp;Brin&nbsp;just can't seem to get enough.</span></p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/inside-facebooks-telecom-infrastructure-project-2017-5" >Inside Facebook's plan to eat another $350 billion IT market</a></strong></p>
<p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/a-closely-watched-google-x-project-cut-employees-2017-4" >Despite setbacks and job cuts, Google is promising a big update in its race against Amazon’s delivery drones</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/sergey-brins-blimp-will-deliver-aid-be-a-luxury-air-yacht-report-2017-5#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/henry-blodget-bitcoin-could-go-to-one-million-zero-2017-5">HENRY BLODGET: Bitcoin could go to $1 million (or fall to $0)</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/college-degrees-and-majors-of-famous-tech-ceosHere's what the world's most influential tech CEOs studied in collegehttp://www.businessinsider.com/college-degrees-and-majors-of-famous-tech-ceos
Thu, 18 May 2017 10:18:00 -0400Nick Vega
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/58ff9ae70ba0b81c008b60b6-1749/74431036.jpg" alt="bill gates harvard commencement" data-mce-source="Darren McCollester/Getty Images"></p><p>For new college students, choosing a major can feel like a decision that shapes&nbsp;one's&nbsp;life trajectory. But a degree in computer science is no guarantee that you'll create the next billion-dollar startup, and a philosophy degree won't necessarily keep you from starting a business.&nbsp;</p>
<p>The best and brightest CEOs in tech come from a wide-range of educational backgrounds.</p>
<p>Some of their chosen majors&nbsp;link up perfectly with what they ended up accomplishing, while others made decisions that might not immediately make sense to an outside observer.&nbsp;</p>
<p>But whether you major in International Studies like Bumble's Whitney Wolfe, or Metallurgical Engineering like Google's Sundar Pichai, there are plenty of ways to make it big in tech. &nbsp;</p>
<p>Take a look:&nbsp;</p><h3>Reed Hastings — Netflix CEO</h3>
<img src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/58fa70ad0ba0b81c008b54c6-400-300/reed-hastings--netflix-ceo.jpg" alt="" />
<p><p><strong>Alma Maters:&nbsp;</strong>Bowdoin University (B.A.), Stanford University (M.S.)&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>Majors:&nbsp;</strong>Mathematics (B.A.), Computer Science (M.S.)</p>
<p>Hastings deferred his college acceptance for one year to continue his summer job: <a href="http://bowdoinorient.com/bonus/article/8535" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">selling vacuums</a> door-to-door. While at Bowdoin, Hastings ran the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/reed-hastings-netflix-bio-2015-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Outing Club</a> which organized climbing and canoeing trips.&nbsp;</p></p>
<br/><br/><h3>Jack Ma — Alibaba CEO</h3>
<img src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/58fa6eb17522ca38008b56e7-400-300/jack-ma--alibaba-ceo.jpg" alt="" />
<p><p><strong>Alma Maters:&nbsp;</strong>Hangzhou Normal University (B.A.), Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>Majors:&nbsp;</strong>English (B.A.), M.B.A.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Ma didn't get into college on his first attempt. Or his second. Or even his third. In all, Jack Ma applied to college <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-01-29/alibaba-s-jack-ma-on-early-obstacles-his-ambitions" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">four separate times</a> before he was accepted and got an English degree. Now, he is worth almost $30 billion.&nbsp;</p></p>
<br/><br/><h3>Susan Wojcicki — YouTube CEO</h3>
<img src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/591b1c5fe559f1b35a8b530a-400-300/susan-wojcicki-youtube-ceo.jpg" alt="" />
<p><p><strong>Alma Maters:&nbsp;</strong>Harvard University (B.A.), U.C. Santa Cruz (M.S.), UCLA Anderson School of Business&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>Majors:&nbsp;</strong>History (B.A.) and Literature (B.A.), Economics (M.S.), M.B.A.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Wojcicki comes from a family of academics, and fully expected to become one herself. Her plan was originally to get a Ph.D. in economics, but she <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/3033957/the-woman-behind-the-superlatives-three-things-you-need-to-know-about-susan-wojcicki" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">changed course</a> after finding she was passionate about technology. She would eventually go on to become the 16th employee hired by Google, and has been on a steady rise ever since.&nbsp;</p></p>
<br/><br/><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/college-degrees-and-majors-of-famous-tech-ceos#/#james-park-fitbit-ceo-4">See the rest of the story at Business Insider</a> http://www.businessinsider.com/a-closely-watched-google-x-project-cut-employees-2017-4Despite setbacks and job cuts, Google is promising a big update in its race against Amazon’s delivery drones (GOOG, GOOGL)http://www.businessinsider.com/a-closely-watched-google-x-project-cut-employees-2017-4
Sat, 29 Apr 2017 09:09:00 -0400Julie Bort
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/59027a1b2f6ae41a008b4e16-801/project wing drone.png" alt="Project Wing drone" data-mce-source="Google" data-mce-caption="Project Wing drone"></p><p>Project Wing, the delivery drone initiative&nbsp;under development at Google-parent Alphabet, felt another jolt of turbulence this week as more members of the team were officially cut loose.</p>
<p>But even as sources inside the high-profile group report&nbsp;ongoing challenges, the drone unit&nbsp;is preparing an important update to demonstrate progress that's expected in a matter of weeks.</p>
<p>Business Insider has heard from multiple people that a group&nbsp;of employees left&nbsp;the team this week. And despite getting a big shout-out from Alphabet CEO Larry Page in a recent public letter, Project Wing is still not close to being ready to launch, according to a person familiar with the matter.</p>
<p>Our sources are calling the latest job reductions&nbsp;at Wing a layoff, however an X spokesperson explains&nbsp;that these&nbsp;cuts are not new but rather&nbsp;the final part of the&nbsp;reorganization that began in January, shortly after the departure of the unit's leader Dave Vos in the fall.</p>
<p>Employees were informed back then that their jobs were going away and they had until mid-April to land another&nbsp;one elsewhere including within Google. Some of the affected employees managed to get hired into new groups, while others are no longer employed by Alphabet.</p>
<p>"X (and Alphabet generally) typically gives people time and support to find new roles when there are changes in teams/projects," a spokesperson told Business Insider.</p>
<p>Ambitious initiatives like Project Wing, which is&nbsp;<span>trying to invent&nbsp;a drone that can deliver packages, is by definition a risky undertaking with no guarantee of success.&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span>Wing is&nbsp;part of&nbsp;X,&nbsp;formerly known as Google X, which is the company's R&amp;D unit working on far-out "moonshot" projects, racing against Amazon and drone makers like DJI to usher in what may one day be&nbsp;a massive new market, delivering everything from food to medicine straight to people's&nbsp;doorsteps.</span></p>
<p><span><img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/590496117dea721c008b54b9-1880/hero.jpg" alt="alphabet X project wing" data-mce-source="Alphabet"></span></p>
<h2><span>Stress test</span></h2>
<p>All told, since January, between layoffs and people quitting, Project Wing's workforce has been reduced by about 10%. However, that's not very many people, less than a dozen. We understand that Wing employs about 70 people.</p>
<p>The main team that has been dismantled with Project Wing's reorganization is the one that was working business product strategy, doing things like crafting partnerships with Chipotle and Starbucks, <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/alphabet-pushes-out-leaders-of-drone-delivery-project-1478642172">the Wall Street Journal reported last fall </a>and a source close to the project&nbsp;confirmed with Business Insider. A potential partnership with Starbucks was nixed when that happened, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-11-08/alphabet-taps-brakes-on-drone-project-nixing-starbucks-partnership">as Bloomberg reported at the time.&nbsp;</a></p>
<p>Project Wing has experienced a ton of&nbsp;change and turmoil since its beginnings in 2012 and has a reputation for stress and politics, more than one person familiar with the project has told us.</p>
<p>One guy, who was working long hours out-of-doors testing the drone, even collapsed on the job and was briefly hospitalized, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/ex-military-contractor-google-x-employee-collapsed-on-the-job-2017-3">sources previously told us.</a>&nbsp;He was later let go as part of the team's reorganization, people told us.</p>
<p>It's not clear if Wing's disruptions will cease now that the final employees whose jobs were cut back in January have moved on.</p>
<h2>Grandfathered in</h2>
<p>The turmoil stems in part because Wing is one of X's&nbsp;earliest cornerstone projects, one person speculated to us. This project was created before&nbsp;Google reorganized itself into Alphabet and forced X to implement more stringent business analysis,&nbsp;hiring practices and cost controls on the projects it funded.</p>
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/58d5b955d349f91f008b70bb-1043/undefined" alt="Dave Vos" data-mce-source="Google/YouTube/Project Wing" data-mce-caption="Dave Vos" data-link="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIrclvYVYnY">These days, it's difficult to get a job at X, we understand. People can no longer&nbsp;get hired into X just because one of their buddies works there,&nbsp;a marked change from earlier days when the so-called moonshot factory was a&nbsp;freewheeling hive of experimental projects.</p>
<p>Wing's first leader was famed MIT robotics scientist Nick Roy, who worked there&nbsp;during a two-year sabbatical and then went back to his tenured job at MIT. Various engineers joined Wing during those earlier years, including people from MIT who followed Roy there and left when he did, our source told us.</p>
<p>Roy was replaced by Vos. And Vos was pushed out by a <em>coup</em> of sorts when a group of employees, led by a trio of managers hired in the&nbsp;earlier era, went to the leader of X, Astro Teller, and made their case against Vos. (Vos did not return our request for comment.)</p>
<p>The initial design of Project Wing, a fixed&nbsp;wing aircraft that took off and landed like a helicopter, had proven to be a bust, and other internal problems plagued the team even as it shifted to a new drone design. Teller sided with the faction of protesters and Vos was out. Each of the three men were then put in charge of crucial elements of the newly designed drone and Teller himself took over as the project's leader, we understand.</p>
<h2>Everyone is watching</h2>
<p>Project Wing&nbsp;is being watched at the highest levels of Google. X is Google cofounder Sergey Brin's baby and he keeps tabs on many of the projects. We understand that he&nbsp;keeps a desk at Project Wing and talks with the team regularly.</p>
<p>Larry Page, the co-founder of Google who is now CEO of its parent company Alphabet, also called out Wing in his annual letter to shareholders just published on Thursday.</p>
<p>"Sergey is continuing to spend time working with the X moonshot factory. They have a number of efforts like Wing, which is doing drone delivery. I also can't wait for them to launch!" <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/read-alphabet-ceo-larry-page-2016-letter-to-shareholders-2017-4">he wrote.</a></p>
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/577fa15bdd0895e41a8b4c60-1158/google-project-wing-6.jpg" alt="Google Project Wing" data-mce-source="Google" data-mce-caption="Google Project Wing drone delivery project" data-link="https://sites.google.com/site/googprojectwing/">However, the person we talked tells us that the drone still needs a lot of work as is not on the verge of&nbsp;becoming its own company and product. This person didn't estimate when that would happen.</p>
<p>Despite the politics, Alphabet remains committed to&nbsp;the project and says there's exciting news to be shared soon.</p>
<p>"Project Wing is moving ahead at full speed and we're enthusiastic about the team's progress in developing the next phase of our technology.&nbsp;We're wholeheartedly committed to the moonshot of opening the skies to faster, more efficient transportation of goods, and we look forward to having updates to share in the coming weeks," the spokesperson told us.</p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/ex-military-contractor-google-x-employee-collapsed-on-the-job-2017-3" >The alarming inside story of a failed Google acquisition, and an employee who was hospitalized</a></strong></p>
<p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/joe-lonsdale-perfect-symbol-of-silicon-valley-2017-4" >The return of Joe Lonsdale: How the cofounder of multibillion-dollar company Palantir was vilified in Silicon Valley, then bounced back</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/a-closely-watched-google-x-project-cut-employees-2017-4#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/lta-research-and-exploration-llc-is-likely-the-name-of-sergey-brins-blimp-project-2017-4Alphabet just revealed details of a secret Sergey Brin company — and it sounds like his new blimp projecthttp://www.businessinsider.com/lta-research-and-exploration-llc-is-likely-the-name-of-sergey-brins-blimp-project-2017-4
Fri, 28 Apr 2017 17:12:17 -0400Biz Carson
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/56aa6a5658c32348008b60a4-2400/rtx1tuou.jpg" alt="Sergey Brin" data-mce-source="Yudhi Mahatma/Antara Foto/Reuters"></p><p>Sergey Brin's secret blimp company is likely called "LTA Research &amp; Exploration, LLC", and it paid more than $100,000 to lease space from Alphabet, based on clues disclosed in Alphabet's <a href="https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1652044/000130817917000170/lgoog2017_def14a.htm">annual proxy statement</a> on Friday.</p>
<p>Per the filing (emphasis ours), Google's parent company has been leasing space to a new entity that's tied to Sergey Brin, the Google cofounder who is now the President of Alphabet:</p>
<blockquote>"In December 2015, we entered into an agreement to license a portion of our hangar space at the Airfield to <strong>LTA Research &amp; Exploration LLC (LTA)</strong>, which is owned by an entity affiliated with Sergey Brin. From the beginning of 2016 through April 19, 2017, we charged LTA approximately $131,000. "</blockquote>
<p><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-04-25/with-secret-airship-sergey-brin-also-wants-to-fly">Bloomberg broke the news</a> earlier this week&nbsp;that Brin had been working on a blimp project at Moffett Field. "LTA" is a common acronym for "Lighter Than Air", a type of aircraft filled with gas that floats rather than flies.</p>
<p>The company's CEO, identified by Bloomberg as Alan Weston, had originally posted his title as "CEO at ltare" on LinkedIn before deleting his post. "Ltare" is likely&nbsp;an acronym for LTA Research and Exploration. A quick LinkedIn search also reveals a smattering of <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/tsu-han-75b919123/">aerospace engineers</a> and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-ledwon-02a118105/">interns</a> that say they work for LTA Research &amp; Exploration. California business registration records show the company was first incorporated in December 2014.</p>
<p>Google&nbsp;declined to comment.</p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/anthony-levandowski-no-longer-leads-uber-self-driving-cars-2017-4" >Uber's self-driving car boss, Anthony Levandowski, is stepping aside amid legal fight with Waymo</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/lta-research-and-exploration-llc-is-likely-the-name-of-sergey-brins-blimp-project-2017-4#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/devtac-ronin-bulletproof-combat-helmet-special-forces-testing-boba-fett-2017-8">British special forces are testing out a bulletproof combat helmet that looks like something Boba Fett would wear</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/australian-bungee-jump-inventor-building-an-airship-for-sergey-brin-google-2017-4The amazing life of the bungee-jump inventor who's now building an airship for Google co-founder Sergey Brinhttp://www.businessinsider.com/australian-bungee-jump-inventor-building-an-airship-for-sergey-brin-google-2017-4
Wed, 26 Apr 2017 10:24:00 -0400Peter Farquhar
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/59006d86dd089547778b45a7-1074/sergey%20brin.jpg" alt="Sergey Brin" data-mce-source="Getty Images / Justin Sullivan" data-link="http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/google-co-founder-sergey-brin-looks-on-during-a-news-news-photo/152766135"></p><p>Google founder Sergey Brin is "secretly" building a massive airship in Hangar 2 at the NASA Ames Research Center.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-04-25/with-secret-airship-sergey-brin-also-wants-to-fly" target="_blank">Bloomberg reports</a> that Brin’s fascination with airships began when he visited Ames and saw old photos of the giant USS Macon being built by the US Navy in the 1930s.</p>
<p>Google unit Planetary Ventures commissioned the hangars in 2015, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-04-25/with-secret-airship-sergey-brin-also-wants-to-fly" target="_blank">and according to Bloomberg</a>, a metal frame is already filling most of the enormous building.</p>
<p>Leading the project is Alan Weston, a British-educated aeronautics expert born to Australian parents.</p>
<p>Weston is keeping quiet about the project right now, but in 2013 he spoke of plans for an airship as a fuel-efficient way to carry cargo loads up to 500 tonnes.</p>
<p><img src="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/59006d86dd089547778b45a8-2400/rtr3d922-2.jpg" alt="runaway miliary JLENS blimp" data-mce-source=" REUTERS/John Hamilton/DVIDS/Handout " data-mce-caption="A Raytheon Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor System (JLENS) aerostat is pictured at the White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, in this February 24, 2012 photo obtained on February 1, 2013. A pair of the bulbous, helium-filled &amp;quotaerostats&amp;quot - each more than three quarters the length of a football field at 243 feet (74 meters) are to be added to a high-tech shield designed to protect the Washington DC area from air attack. "></p>
<p>While various attempts to modernize the form of transport, unfortunately, best known in terms of the Hindenburg disaster, have met with varying success, Weston has a unique track record as someone not afraid to take a risk.</p>
<p>As in, the ultimate risk, of being one of the first people to bungee jump without having tested the equipment or technique.</p>
<p>In the 1970s, while he was at Oxford University, Weston was part of a group known as the Dangerous Sports Club. Their specialty was high risk and surreal sporting activities, such as skiing a grand piano down the Swiss Alps and hang-gliding from active volcanoes. A sort of forerunner to Jackass.</p>
<p>One night, they hit on an idea when US member Geoff Tabin told them he was visiting New Guinea. A discussion started about vine-jumping, which was actually a coming of age ritual in Vanuatu.</p>
<p>But the discussion turned to how the group could "urbanise" it.</p>
<p>One of the group’s members, Simon Keeling, had a brother in the RAF. Tabin said the brother arranged for the group to "permanently borrow" one of the elastic cords, made by "Bungee Corporation", used to catch jets as they land on aircraft carriers.</p>
<p>And after an all-night party at Oxford, Keeling, Weston, Tim Hunt (the brother of F1 champion James) and founding member David Kirke performed the first recorded bungee-jump off the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol in the UK, on April 1, 1979, and were promptly arrested.</p>
<p>That was probably Weston’s fault, as he’d told his sisters about the jump and they both independently told the police, fearing their brother was about to kill himself.</p>
<p>In 2014, footage of the jump was uncovered in a store of cans of 16mm film rushes:</p>
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<iframe src="//giphy.com/embed/rXBeTcT4tWyC4" width="800" height="600" frameborder="0" class="giphy-embed" allowfullscreen></iframe><p><a href="https://giphy.com/gifs/rXBeTcT4tWyC4">via GIPHY</a></p>
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<p>At the time, <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-bristol-29951282" target="_blank">Kirke told the BBC</a> that Weston was third to jump. One YouTube commenter claims his friend Crispin Balfour pushed Weston off.</p>
<p>Four members were also arrested when the group performed the stunt from the Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco. Weston escaped police by sailing to Fort Point, changing clothes and running off.</p>
<p>It wasn't Weston’s first escape from the law, according to Kirke, who <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/3620215/An-endangered-species.html" target="_blank">told the UK Daily Telegraph in 2004</a>:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">"He once flew around the Houses of Parliament in a microlight, wearing a gorilla outfit, playing a saxophone and chased by a police helicopter and two civilian helicopters.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">"We got him away to Epping Forest, where we bundled him into a car and put him on the first plane back to America."</p>
<p>The sport hit mainstream soon after members were asked to jump from the Royal Gorge Suspension bridge in Colorado for That’s Incredible!. Tabin, as the inaugural American, <a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/blogs/secretlife/health-science/geoff-tabin/" target="_blank">got to jump in a white tuxedo</a>, and won a spot in the popular show’s opening credits for a year afterwards.</p>
<p>Here’s Weston in footage from that episode:</p>
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<iframe src="//giphy.com/embed/132oiSqYsFgDMQ" width="800" height="600" frameborder="0" class="giphy-embed" allowfullscreen></iframe><p><a href="https://giphy.com/gifs/132oiSqYsFgDMQ">via GIPHY</a></p>
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<p>Weston clearly has a taste for pushing boundaries. He and Kirke once led a sailing expedition for five days in Force 9 gales to a rock 500km off the coast of Scotland, just to spend the night <a href="http://www.vanityfair.com/style/2004/02/oxford-university-dangerous-sports-club" target="_blank">"drinking champagne and dancing to the Beach Boys"</a>.</p>
<p>Tabin is now an ophthalmologist. Kirke even now continues his exploits for the DSC. He hurled himself from a trebuchet on his 55th birthday and was last reported to be working on building a working pegasus.</p>
<p>Weston continued his daredevil exploits in aerospace engineering, and once broke his ankle trying to hang-glide down Mt Kilimanjaro, before eventually joining the US Air Force.</p>
<p>In 1989, he was an engineer on the Reagan government’s iconic "Star Wars" missile defence system and oversaw one of its first tests.</p>
<p>He’s been with NASA since 2006, at one time working on a moon lander.</p>
<p>And now he’s building an airship for Sergey Brin.</p>
<p>This, kids, is why you should stay in school.</p>
</div>
</div><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/australian-bungee-jump-inventor-building-an-airship-for-sergey-brin-google-2017-4#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-watch-solar-eclipse-without-special-glasses-tips-tricks-2017-8">Here's the best way to watch the solar eclipse if you don't have special glasses</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/sergey-brin-secret-blimp-project-2017-4Sergey Brin is secretly building a massive zeppelin in a NASA hangar, report says (GOOG, GOOGL)http://www.businessinsider.com/sergey-brin-secret-blimp-project-2017-4
Tue, 25 Apr 2017 20:07:37 -0400Matt Weinberger
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/58ffe22b0ba0b896008b62b0-2400/296462mainmacon14full.jpg" alt="uss macon nasa ames hangar one" data-mce-source="NASA" data-mce-caption="The USS Macon docks at Ames Research Center's Hangar One some time after 1932."></p><p>Google cofounder and Alphabet president Sergey Brin is secretly building a massive zeppelin&nbsp;in Hangar 2 of the NASA Ames Research Center, with a giant metal skeleton already in place, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-04-25/with-secret-airship-sergey-brin-also-wants-to-fly">reports Bloomberg's Ashlee Vance</a>.&nbsp;</p>
<p>It's not immediately clear if this dirigible is for business purposes, or represents more of a hobby for Brin.</p>
<p>According to the report, Alphabet has nothing to do with Brin's blimp&nbsp;project — though, as Vance points out, Google arm Planetary Ventures took over management of the NASA Ames hangars in 2015.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Earlier this week, Kitty Hawk, a venture backed by Brin's fellow Google founder&nbsp;Larry Page, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/larry-page-kitty-hawk-flying-car-photos-what-we-know-so-far-2017-4">revealed plans to start selling a personal "flying car" by the end of the year</a>.</p>
<p>Google declined to comment. Read the <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-04-25/with-secret-airship-sergey-brin-also-wants-to-fly">full Bloomberg report here</a>.</p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/larry-page-kitty-hawk-flying-car-photos-what-we-know-so-far-2017-4" >What we know so far about the Larry Page-backed 'flying car' coming later this year</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/sergey-brin-secret-blimp-project-2017-4#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/military-blimp-broke-loose-us-bloomsburg-pennsylvania-2015-10">A giant US military blimp broke loose and traveled 130 miles</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/google-larry-page-sergey-brin-eric-schmidt-burning-man-stealing-fire-flow-state-2017-4Here's why Google went to Burning Man to find its next CEOhttp://www.businessinsider.com/google-larry-page-sergey-brin-eric-schmidt-burning-man-stealing-fire-flow-state-2017-4
Fri, 21 Apr 2017 09:03:23 -0400Joe Avella and Kevin Reilly
<p>Steven Kotler is a performance expert and the coauthor of "<a href="http://amzn.to/2pdd4qO">Stealing Fire</a>." In this video, Kotler explains why Google relies on creating group-flow states, and how Larry Page and Sergey Brin used Burning Man to find the right CEO. Following is a transcript of the video.</p>
<p><em>Google used Burning Man to find a CEO because they were interested in finding a CEO who's familiar with group flow.</em></p>
<p><em>So one of the things that </em>happens<em> at Burning Man — and there's recent research out of Oxford that sort of backs this up — is that Burning Man alters consciousness in a very particular way and it drops people into a state of group flow.</em></p>
<p><em>So, flow is a peak-performance state. It's an individual performing at their peak. Group flow is simply a team performing at their peak, and everybody has some familiarity with this. If you’ve ever taken part in a great brainstorming session, where ideas are kind of bouncing everywhere — you're really reaching ripe, smart conclusions.</em></p>
<p><em>If you’ve seen a fourth-quarter comeback in football. If you saw what the Patriots did in the Super Bowl. That’s group flow in action.</em></p>
<p><em>Google has relied very heavily since their inception on creating group-flow states. And when they were looking for a new CEO, they needed a way to screen for this, and it doesn't show up on most resumes.</em></p>
<p><em>They had a long history with Burning Man. From the very beginning, Larry and Sergey have been kind of rabid attendees. The center atrium at Google for years was decorated with pictures of Googlers at Burning Man, spinning fire, doing various things.</em></p>
<p><em>They had blown through and alienated like 50 different CEOs in the valley they tried to interview, and they found out that Eric Schmidt had actually been to Burning Man. So they bumped him to the top of their list, they took him to Burning Man to see how he would do. They wanted to know was he going to be able to let go of his ego, merge with the team, or was he going to stand in its way? And it turns out he passed the test, and the result is one of the most pivotal CEO hires in the modern era.</em></p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/google-larry-page-sergey-brin-eric-schmidt-burning-man-stealing-fire-flow-state-2017-4#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/alphabet-google-company-list-2017-4The company formerly known as Google is far bigger than most people realize (GOOG, GOOGL)http://www.businessinsider.com/alphabet-google-company-list-2017-4
Wed, 05 Apr 2017 15:38:44 -0400Avery Hartmans
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/57f6747157540cb2018b52fc-670/big-tech-may-halt-earnings-recession-if-it-delivers-third-quarter-numbers-2016-8.jpg" alt="Letters spell the word " data-mce-source="Thomson Reuters" data-mce-caption="Letters spell the word &amp;quotAlphabet&amp;quot as they are seen on a computer screen with a Google search page in this photo illustration taken in Paris"></p><p>It's been more than&nbsp;a year since Google blew up its entire corporate structure to form a new parent company: Alphabet.</p>
<p>The shake-up was intended to help all of its businesses operate more efficiently, a move CEO Larry Page was working on for years as <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/larry-page-created-secret-moonshot-group-called-javelin-2016-12" target="_blank">a secret project he called "Javelin."</a></p>
<p>This move also allowed Page to step back from day-to-day operations to "focus on the bigger picture."</p>
<p>Now, Alphabet is a massive corporation — ranking in size <a href="http://www.forbes.com/pictures/ffgh45fdkgk/alphabet/#5804ccaf2ca6" target="_blank">behind Apple, Samsung, and Microsoft</a> — that encompasses everything from internet-beaming hot air balloons to self-driving cars to Google Cloud.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Here's how all of Alphabet's companies fit under the umbrella.&nbsp;</p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/teens-think-google-is-cool-study-2017-4" >Teens think Google is really cool ... according to a study by Google</a></strong></p>
<p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/ex-military-contractor-google-x-employee-collapsed-on-the-job-2017-3" >The alarming inside story of a failed Google acquisition, and an employee who was hospitalized</a></strong></p>
<h3>Google officially became Alphabet in October, 2015, with the hope of allowing businesses units to operate independently and move faster. Google cofounder Larry Page is the CEO of the umbrella company, Alphabet.</h3>
<img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/57f66ab39bd97820008b53df-400-300/google-officially-became-alphabet-in-october-2015-with-the-hope-of-allowing-businesses-units-to-operate-independently-and-move-faster-google-cofounder-larry-page-is-the-ceo-of-the-umbrella-company-alphabet.jpg" alt="" />
<br/><br/><h3>Alphabet is divided into two main units: Google and Other Bets. Other Bets is best known for its "moonshot" R&D unit, X, but it also houses several other companies. Let's start with the smaller companies under Other Bets.</h3>
<img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/57f678aa57540c66048b52d0-400-300/alphabet-is-divided-into-two-main-units-google-and-other-bets-other-bets-is-best-known-for-its-moonshot-rd-unit-x-but-it-also-houses-several-other-companies-lets-start-with-the-smaller-companies-under-other-bets.jpg" alt="" />
<br/><br/><h3>Nest builds smart thermostats and other home devices, like outdoor security cameras. The company was acquired by what is now Alphabet in 2014, and in June of last year, CEO Tony Fadell stepped down but remains within Alphabet. He was replaced by Marwan Fawaz.</h3>
<img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/57f65d8d9bd9781d008b52d2-400-300/nest-builds-smart-thermostats-and-other-home-devices-like-outdoor-security-cameras-the-company-was-acquired-by-what-is-now-alphabet-in-2014-and-in-june-of-last-year-ceo-tony-fadell-stepped-down-but-remains-within-alphabet-he-was-replaced-by-marwan-fawaz.jpg" alt="" />
<br/><br/><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/alphabet-google-company-list-2017-4#/#alphabets-access-and-energy-division-includes-google-fiber-which-launched-in-kansas-city-in-2012-but-has-since-expanded-to-about-9-cities-fiber-offers-extremely-fast-high-speed-internet-up-to-1g-and-some-tv-its-billed-as-an-alternative-to-traditional-cable-companies-it-currently-has-about-200000-subscribers-4">See the rest of the story at Business Insider</a> http://www.businessinsider.com/best-larry-page-quotes-google-alphabet-2017-315 quotes that reveal the genius and ambition of Google's Larry Page (GOOG, GOOGL)http://www.businessinsider.com/best-larry-page-quotes-google-alphabet-2017-3
Wed, 15 Mar 2017 11:03:58 -0400Avery Hartmans
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/546bbbefecad04457bf5604f-1200-924/cloud-larry-page-2.jpg" alt="Cloud Larry Page" border="0"></p><p>Alphabet CEO Larry Page&nbsp;is driven by a fierce, relentless ambition.</p>
<p>The cofounder of Google and current CEO of Google's parent company Alphabet is notoriously unsatisfied by ideas that don't push technology&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-risk-in-larry-pages-moonshots-2014-11" target="_blank">forward by 10x</a>.&nbsp;You can see his<span style="line-height: 1.5em;">&nbsp;big dreams at work within X, Alphabet's experimental lab where it's working on internet-beaming balloons, drones, and more.&nbsp;</span></p>
<p>You can also see it through these quotes.</p>
<p><em>Jillian D'Onfro contributed to an earlier version of this post.&nbsp;</em></p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-life-of-google-ceo-sundar-pichai-in-photos-2017-1" >The meteoric rise of Google CEO Sundar Pichai, in photos</a></strong></p>
<h3>On making a difference: "What is the one-sentence summary of how you change the world? Always work hard on something uncomfortably exciting!"</h3>
<img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/52eaba256bb3f7c83b631ee9-400-300/on-making-a-difference-what-is-the-one-sentence-summary-of-how-you-change-the-world-always-work-hard-on-something-uncomfortably-exciting.jpg" alt="" />
<p><p><em>Source: <a href="http://googlepress.blogspot.com/2009/05/larry-pages-university-of-michigan.html" target="_blank">Google</a></em></p></p>
<br/><br/><h3>On invention versus implementation: "Invention is not enough. [Nikola] Tesla invented the electric power we use, but he struggled to get it out to people. You have to combine both things: invention and innovation focus, plus the company that can commercialize things and get them to people."</h3>
<img src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/546ba55f6bb3f7d809300547-400-300/on-invention-versus-implementation-invention-is-not-enough-nikola-tesla-invented-the-electric-power-we-use-but-he-struggled-to-get-it-out-to-people-you-have-to-combine-both-things-invention-and-innovation-focus-plus-the-company-that-can-commercialize-things-and-get-them-to-people.jpg" alt="" />
<p><p><em>Source: <a href="http://blog.ted.com/2014/03/19/computing-is-still-too-clunky-charlie-rose-and-larry-page-in-conversation/" target="_blank">Ted</a></em></p></p>
<br/><br/><h3>On making Google products beautiful: "I do think there is an important artistic component in what we do. As a technology company I’ve tried to really stress that."</h3>
<img src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/546ba4f069bedd323b36ca1a-400-300/on-making-google-products-beautiful-i-do-think-there-is-an-important-artistic-component-in-what-we-do-as-a-technology-company-ive-tried-to-really-stress-that.jpg" alt="" />
<p><p><em>Source: <a href="http://fortune.com/2014/11/18/larry-page-music-education/" target="_blank">Fortune</a></em></p></p>
<br/><br/><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/best-larry-page-quotes-google-alphabet-2017-3#/#on-possibilities-and-press-coverage-were-at-maybe-1-of-what-is-possible-despite-the-faster-change-were-still-moving-slow-relative-to-the-opportunities-we-have-i-think-a-lot-of-that-is-because-of-the-negativity-every-story-i-read-is-google-versus-someone-else-thats-boring-we-should-be-focusing-on-building-the-things-that-dont-exist-4">See the rest of the story at Business Insider</a> http://www.businessinsider.com/google-ceo-sundar-pichai-alphabet-search-tech-silicon-valley-2017-2The meteoric rise of Google CEO Sundar Pichaihttp://www.businessinsider.com/google-ceo-sundar-pichai-alphabet-search-tech-silicon-valley-2017-2
Wed, 08 Feb 2017 11:39:19 -0500Jacqui Frank and Avery Hartmans
<p><span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-life-of-google-ceo-sundar-pichai-in-photos-2017-1/#pichai-whose-full-name-is-actually-pichai-sundararajan-grew-up-in-chennai-india-his-father-was-as-an-electrical-engineer-and-his-mother-a-stenographer-before-having-him-and-his-younger-brother-the-family-wasnt-wealthy-and-the-boys-slept-together-in-the-living-room-of-their-two-room-apartment-1" target="_blank">Sundar Pichai became Google's CEO in 2015</a>.&nbsp;</span>Larry Page is still CEO of Google's parent company, Alphabet, but Pichai has the important job of making sure that the company's core businesses stays strong.</p>
<p><strong>Follow BI Video:&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://twitter.com/BI_Video" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&amp;q=https://twitter.com/BI_Video&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1486596928461000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEMvL53C_BVwqoFX87H8VARMacllg">On&nbsp;Twitter</a><span>&nbsp;</span></p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/google-ceo-sundar-pichai-alphabet-search-tech-silicon-valley-2017-2#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/google-sergey-brin-speech-trump-immigration-ban-2017-1'Outraged by this order' — here's the speech Google cofounder Sergey Brin just gave attacking Trump's immigration ban (GOOG, GOOGL)http://www.businessinsider.com/google-sergey-brin-speech-trump-immigration-ban-2017-1
Mon, 30 Jan 2017 20:17:36 -0500Matt Weinberger
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/56cde31e6e97c62f008b9551-2000" alt="sergey brin" data-mce-source="Elijah Nouvelage/Reuters" data-mce-caption="Google cofounder and Alphabet president Sergey Brin speaks to the media following presentations at a media preview of Google's prototype autonomous vehicles in Moutain View, California September 29, 2015."></p><p>On Monday afternoon, about <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/google-employees-simultaneous-walkout-to-rally-against-trump-immigration-ban-2017-1/#-1">2,000 Google employees left their desks and took to the streets</a> to protest President Donald Trump's <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/un-human-rights-chief-trumps-immigration-ban-is-illegal-and-mean-spirited-2017-1">immigration ban</a>.</p>
<p>This employee-led rally was attended by Google cofounder Sergey Brin, who addressed the crowd about his own experiences — Brin's family came to the US as refugees from the Soviet Union when he was a child, at the height of the Cold War. His remarks, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0tPn6NaiqE">as captured on YouTube</a>, took many jabs at Trump's policies.</p>
<p>"So many people were obviously outraged by this order, as am I myself, being an immigrant and a refugee," Brin told the crowd.</p>
<p>"I'm glad to see the energy here today and around the world to know that people are fighting for what's right out there," Brin continued.</p>
<p>"I think it's important to not frame this debate as being 'liberal' versus 'Republican' and so forth," Brin told the crowd. "It's a debate about fundamental values, about thoughtful policymaking and many of the other things that I think are — apparently not universally adored — but I think the vast majority of our country and of our legislators and so forth support."</p>
<p>You can read a transcript of Brin's full remarks below, in which he calls for unity — and makes a joke about sporting a "Pence 2017" bumper sticker, which could be taken as a call for Congress to impeach Trump.</p>
<p>Of note is that while Brin and Google CEO Sundar Pichai spoke at this event, we're told the official keynote speaker at the rally was Soufi Esmaeilzadeh, a Google product manager and Harvard Business School alum. Esmaeilzadeh is an Iranian-born Canadian citizen who has lived in the US for the past 15 years but had just landed in Switzerland when the order went into effect.</p>
<p><img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/588fe04e475752572a8b544c-586/undefined" alt="soufi Esmaeilzadeh google product manager" data-mce-source="Google" data-mce-caption="Google Product Manager Soufi Esmaeilzadeh"></p>
<p>The ban has temporarily halted the US's admission of refugees and barred immigrants from seven majority-Muslim countries, including Iran, from entering the country.</p>
<p>While the company was unsure whether <span>Esmaeilzadeh</span> would be affected amid confusion over how Trump's executive order would be carried out, Google opted to bring her home immediately, in the window <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/a-federal-judge-issued-a-stay-on-trumps-executive-order-immigration-ban-2017-1">granted by a federal court's emergency stay of Trump's order</a>.</p>
<p>Pichai, who was born and raised in India, has been especially vocal in fighting Trump's executive order on immigration. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/google-sets-up-4-million-emergency-immigration-fund-2017-1">Google is setting up a $4 million emergency fund</a> to help affected employees with legal and living costs. In a leaked email to Google employees, Pichai <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/google-recalls-staff-to-us-trump-immigration-order-sundar-pichai02017-1?r=UK&amp;IR=T">wrote</a>, "It's painful to see the personal cost of this executive order on our colleagues."</p>
<h2>Read what Brin told Google employees:</h2>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">"But in all seriousness, so many people were obviously outraged by this order, as am I myself, being an immigrant and a refugee.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">"I came here to the US at age 6 with my family from the Soviet Union which was at that time the greatest enemy the US had, maybe it still is. It was a dire period, the cold war, as some people remember it. It was under the threat of nuclear annihilation. And even then the US had the courage to take me and my family in as refugees.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">"And I’d say the risks at the time, letting in these foreigners from a land that might spy on you, learn the nuclear secrets on the back...and there were many cases of espionage, those risks were far greater than the terrorism we face today. And nevertheless, this country was brave and welcoming and I wouldn’t be where I am today or have any kind of the life that I have today if this was not a brave country that really stood out and spoke for liberty.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">"But to fast forward, Saturday night at SFO was a really warm wonderful experience to be honest. I saw so many of you there, I saw so many friends and family there, all with the same spirit. I found that very touching and I’m glad to see the energy here today and around the world to know that people are fighting for what’s right out there.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">"I think that as we do that, and I’ve spent time talking to [Google CEO] Sundar [Pichai] about it and so forth, I think that we need to be smart about it too. And that means bringing in folks who have some different viewpoints and so forth. Maybe it’s somebody who we don’t agree with on climate change. But nevertheless, there are many rational, thoughtful people out there, who maybe they vote Republican, or Democrat or independent, or whatever, but are outraged by these kinds of actions. and it’s important to be welcoming and reach out to them. and in fact we’ve been working to do exactly that. Some of us might even adopt Pence 2017 bumper stickers.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">"But I guess my point being, I think it’s important to not frame this debate as being liberal versus republican and so forth. It’s a debate about fundamental values , about thoughtful policymaking and many of the other things that I think are — apparently not universally adored — but I think the vast majority of our country and of our legislators and so forth support. And I think it’s important to frame it in that way and to be inclusive in that way. and sometimes think that might be really difficult because I know we have many many different values here that might not be universally shared. But I think these are really special times and i think it’s important to form friendships with many different people.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">"I hope this energy carries forward in many different ways, beyond what just our company can do, beyond just what company can do, but as really a powerful force and really a powerful moment."</p>
<h2>Watch Brin and Google CEO Sundar Pichai address the crowd:</h2>
<div>
<iframe width="853" height="480" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/F0tPn6NaiqE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/google-employees-simultaneous-walkout-to-rally-against-trump-immigration-ban-2017-1/#-1" >Google's Sergey Brin and Sundar Pichai speak at company immigration ban rally, while thousands of Googlers take to the streets</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/google-sergey-brin-speech-trump-immigration-ban-2017-1#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/silicon-valley-trump-immigration-ban-refugee-google-airbnb-apple-uber-lyft-microsoft-2017-1">Here’s how the top Silicon Valley companies are responding to Trump’s immigration ban</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/larry-page-google-alphabet-life-photos-2017-1The fascinating life of Google founder and Alphabet CEO Larry Page (GOOG, GOOGL)http://www.businessinsider.com/larry-page-google-alphabet-life-photos-2017-1
Wed, 04 Jan 2017 09:15:00 -0500Avery Hartmans
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/586bf76dee14b62b008b6390-2400/undefined" alt="Larry Page" data-mce-source="Andrew Kelly/Reuters" /></p><p>Larry Page is one of the most powerful people in the world.</p>
<p>The quirky, soft-spoken computer scientist cofounded Google and now runs its parent company, Alphabet.&nbsp;</p>
<p>So how did he get to where he is today? Here's his story.</p>
<p><em>Jillian D'Onfro contributed to an earlier version of this story.&nbsp;</em></p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/sundar-pichai-about-2016-2" >The incredible rise of Google's Sundar Pichai, one of the most powerful CEOs in the world</a></strong></p>
<p><strong>DON'T MISS:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/sergey-brin-google-alphabet-life-photos-2016-12" >The crazy, eccentric, successful life of Google cofounder Sergey Brin</a></strong></p>
<h3>Gloria and Carl Page had their second son, Lawrence, on March 26, 1973. They both taught computer science at Michigan State University and filled their home with computers and tech magazines that enthralled a young Larry.</h3>
<img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/56e971b991058436008b6b8b-400-300/gloria-and-carl-page-had-their-second-son-lawrence-on-march-26-1973-they-both-taught-computer-science-at-michigan-state-university-and-filled-their-home-with-computers-and-tech-magazines-that-enthralled-larry-from-a-very-young-age.jpg" alt="" />
<br/><br/><h3>They enrolled him in a Montessori school. Such programs are known to foster independence and creativity, and Page now credits "that training of not following rules and orders, and being self-motivated and questioning what's going on in the world" as influencing his later attitudes and work.</h3>
<img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/56e9f0d69105844d018b6e82-400-300/they-enrolled-him-in-a-montessori-school-such-programs-are-known-to-foster-independence-and-creativity-and-page-now-credits-that-training-of-not-following-rules-and-orders-and-being-self-motivated-and-questioning-whats-going-on-in-the-world-as-influencing-his-later-attitudes-and-work.jpg" alt="" />
<p><p>Source:&nbsp;<em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0C_DQxpX-Kw">YouTube</a></em></p></p>
<br/><br/><h3>At 12, Page read a biography about the brilliant inventor Nikola Tesla, who died in debt and obscurity. The ending made him cry, and inspired Page to not only want to build world-changing technologies, but to have the business sense to know how to spread them. "I figured that inventing things wasn't any good," he has said. "You really had to get them out into the world and have people use them to have any effect."</h3>
<img src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/56e966b891058426008b6a32-400-300/at-12-page-read-a-biography-about-the-brilliant-inventor-nikola-tesla-who-died-in-debt-and-obscurity-the-ending-made-him-cry-and-inspired-page-to-not-only-want-to-build-world-changing-technologies-but-to-have-the-business-sense-to-know-how-to-spread-them-i-figured-that-inventing-things-wasnt-any-good-he-has-said-you-really-had-to-get-them-out-into-the-world-and-have-people-use-them-to-have-any-effect.jpg" alt="" />
<p><p><em>Source: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/larry-page-the-untold-story-2014-4">Business Insider</a>, <a href="http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/pag0int-1">Achievement.org</a></em></p></p>
<br/><br/><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/larry-page-google-alphabet-life-photos-2017-1#/#besides-tinkering-with-electronics-page-also-played-saxophone-growing-up-and-he-once-told-fortune-that-his-musical-training-in-part-led-to-the-high-speed-legacy-of-google-apparently-hes-also-been-trying-to-pick-up-percussion-as-of-late-4">See the rest of the story at Business Insider</a> http://www.businessinsider.com/sergey-brin-google-alphabet-life-photos-2016-12The crazy, eccentric, successful life of Google cofounder Sergey Brin (GOOG, GOOGL)http://www.businessinsider.com/sergey-brin-google-alphabet-life-photos-2016-12
Sat, 24 Dec 2016 09:17:00 -0500Avery Hartmans
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/55cb8e422acae70f008bfb1e-2714-2036/152766139.jpg" alt="sergey brin" data-mce-source="Justin Sullivan/Getty Images" /></p><p>A little more than a year ago, Google pressed the reset button, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/google-new-operating-structure-2015-8">completely overhauling its corporate structure</a> through the formation of a brand new parent company called Alphabet.&nbsp;</p>
<p>This change comes nearly 20 years after cofounders Larry Page and Sergey Brin first launched Google from a dorm room in Stanford.</p>
<p>It's been a wild ride for both of them since, but Brin's history is especially intriguing.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Learn more about the man behind the world's most popular search engine.</p>
<p><em>Jillian D'Onfro contributed to an earlier version of this story.</em></p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-fabulous-life-of-mark-zuckerberg-2015-6" >The fabulous life of Mark Zuckerberg</a></strong></p>
<h3>With the announcement of Alphabet, Brin got a title upgrade, transitioning from "director of special projects" at Google's moonshot factory, X, to becoming president of the new parent company.</h3>
<img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/55cb5a08371d22a40e8bef90-400-300/with-the-announcement-of-alphabet-brin-got-a-title-upgrade-transitioning-from-director-of-special-projects-at-googles-moonshot-factory-x-to-becoming-president-of-the-new-parent-company.jpg" alt="" />
<br/><br/><h3>All told, Brin is worth about $38.3 billion, according to Forbes.</h3>
<img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/55cb5a2a371d2211008bf1e3-400-300/all-told-brin-is-worth-about-383-billion-according-to-forbes.jpg" alt="" />
<p><p>Source: <a href="http://www.forbes.com/profile/sergey-brin/" target="_blank">Forbes</a></p></p>
<br/><br/><h3>But Brin comes from humble beginnings. He was born to parents Michael and Eugenia Brin in the Soviet Union during the summer of 1973.</h3>
<img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/55cb5be3371d22ce178bef35-400-300/but-brin-comes-from-humble-beginnings-he-was-born-to-parents-michael-and-eugenia-brin-in-the-soviet-union-during-the-summer-of-1973.jpg" alt="" />
<br/><br/><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/sergey-brin-google-alphabet-life-photos-2016-12#/#at-the-time-his-father-michael-dreamed-of-being-an-astrophysicist-but-anti-semitism-in-soviet-russia-coupled-with-his-jewish-background-kept-him-from-those-ambitions-and-even-made-it-hard-for-him-to-find-work-as-a-mathematician-he-ended-up-working-as-an-economist-for-a-government-planning-agency-crunching-numbers-for-soviet-propaganda-the-family-managed-to-get-exit-visas-and-flee-the-ussr-when-sergey-was-six-but-his-familys-stressful-troubled-experience-left-the-google-cofounder-with-a-lasting-appreciation-for-democracy-and-freedom-4">See the rest of the story at Business Insider</a> http://www.businessinsider.com/first-google-employees-where-are-they-now-2016-11Here's where Google's first 21 employees are now (GOOG, GOOGL)http://www.businessinsider.com/first-google-employees-where-are-they-now-2016-11
Mon, 21 Nov 2016 17:25:13 -0500Avery Hartmans
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/58336b33ba6eb634008b5a6d-2400/ap500634174479.jpg" alt="Marissa Mayer" data-mce-source="AP Photo/Lionel Cironneau, File" data-mce-caption="Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer." /></p><p>Only six of Google's earliest employees still work at the internet giant &mdash; and that includes founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin.</p>
<p>Some early Google employees have gone on to become entrepreneurs, while others are now angel investors, and a lucky few have gone on to become top executives at other tech companies. A few are happily retired.</p>
<p>In 2015, <a href="http://www.quora.com/Google/Of-Googles-first-20-employees-besides-Larry-Page-and-Sergey-Brin-how-many-are-still-there">a Quora user compiled a list</a> of all the original Googlers and where there careers have taken them. Of the first 21 employees, only six are still at the company.</p>
<p>Here is what's become of the first 21 employees since launching their careers at Google.</p>
<p><em>Jillian D'Onfro and Alyson Shontell contributed reporting on previous versions of this article.</em></p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/google-photos-launches-photoscan-app-photos-2016-11" >Google is launching a new standalone app to help you scan in all your childhood photos</a></strong></p>
<h3>21. Marissa Mayer joined Google as a software engineer. Now she is the CEO of Yahoo.</h3>
<img src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/57a0bee74321f10d038bc8de-400-300/21-marissa-mayer-joined-google-as-a-software-engineer-now-she-is-the-ceo-of-yahoo.jpg" alt="" />
<p><p><strong>Employed by Google: </strong>June 1999 to July 2012</p>
<p><strong>Most recent position at Google:</strong> <span>VP, Local, Maps &amp; Location Services.<br /></span></p>
<p><span><strong>Current company/position:&nbsp;</strong></span>CEO, Yahoo.</p></p>
<br/><br/><h3>20. Kendra DiGirolamo joined Google as an ad sales coordinator and left three years before the company went public. Now she's at Driscoll's.</h3>
<img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/541886c0eab8eada07f059ef-400-300/20-kendra-digirolamo-joined-google-as-an-ad-sales-coordinator-and-left-three-years-before-the-company-went-public-now-shes-at-driscolls.jpg" alt="" />
<p><p><strong>Employed by Google: </strong>June 1999 to May 2001</p>
<p><strong>Most recent position at Google:</strong> <span>Advertising sales coordinator.<br /> </span></p>
<p><span><strong>Current company/position:&nbsp;</strong></span>Business systems analyst, Driscoll's.</p></p>
<br/><br/><h3>19. Larry Schwimmer was an early software engineer at Google. He introduced Snippets, a productivity system, to help Google manage employees during the company's explosive growth period. He also drove the launch of Google Moon, a Google Earth-like service that shows satellite photos of the moon.</h3>
<img src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/54188b55eab8ea3d1ef059ec-400-300/19-larry-schwimmer-was-an-early-software-engineer-at-google-he-introduced-snippets-a-productivity-system-to-help-google-manage-employees-during-the-companys-explosive-growth-period-he-also-drove-the-launch-of-google-moon-a-google-earth-like-service-that-shows-satellite-photos-of-the-moon.jpg" alt="" />
<p><p><strong>Employed by Google: </strong>1999 to&nbsp;<a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2005/07/moon-children.html" target="_blank">at least 2005</a> (unknown)<strong><br /></strong></p>
<p><strong>Most recent position at Google:</strong> <span>Software engineer.<br /> </span></p>
<p><span><strong>Current company/position:</strong></span> Unknown.</p></p>
<br/><br/><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/first-google-employees-where-are-they-now-2016-11#/#18-jim-reese-was-an-engineer-at-google-he-was-once-knocked-out-by-a-200-pound-metal-beam-in-googles-leased-data-center-4">See the rest of the story at Business Insider</a> http://www.businessinsider.com/insanely-successful-life-sergey-brin-google-2016-9The insanely successful and unorthodox life of Google founder Sergey Brinhttp://www.businessinsider.com/insanely-successful-life-sergey-brin-google-2016-9
Tue, 25 Oct 2016 11:11:00 -0400Eames Yates and Jillian D'Onfro
<div><span style="color: #222222;">Google co-founder Sergey Brin is incredibly successful. Here's a look into his unorthodox life.</span></div>
<div><strong style="color: #222222;"> </strong></div>
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<p> </p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/insanely-successful-life-sergey-brin-google-2016-9#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/google-history-in-photos-2016-1033 photos of Google's rise from a Stanford dorm room to world domination (GOOG, GOOGL)http://www.businessinsider.com/google-history-in-photos-2016-10
Sun, 09 Oct 2016 10:21:48 -0400Matt Weinberger
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/53eba0ce6bb3f7d117056f53-1992-1386/ap00111102495.jpg" alt="young larry page sergey brin" data-mce-source="RANDI LYNN BEACH / AP Images" /></p><p>Google is a global superpower.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Not only is Google the most-visited website in the world&nbsp;&mdash; it also makes Google Android, the most popular operating system in the world.&nbsp;</p>
<p>And on the back of Google's&nbsp;incredibly profitable advertising business, its parent company Alphabet is worth $543.3 billion.</p>
<p>But it wasn't always that way.</p>
<p>Here's a look at the history of Google, from its roots in a pair of Stanford dorm rooms, to Larry Page and Sergey Brin's attempt to sell the company, all the way through the explosive announcement that Google was becoming Alphabet.</p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-history-photos-2016-9" >33 photos of Facebook's rise from a Harvard dorm room to world domination</a></strong></p>
<h3>Google got its start in 1996, when two Stanford PhD students named Sergey Brin (left) and Larry Page (right) had the idea for "BackRub," a revolutionary search engine that used a technology called "PageRank" that would rank web pages based on how many other web pages linked back to them.</h3>
<img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/5355f3386bb3f74b22bfeb94-400-300/google-got-its-start-in-1996-when-two-stanford-phd-students-named-sergey-brin-left-and-larry-page-right-had-the-idea-for-backrub-a-revolutionary-search-engine-that-used-a-technology-called-pagerank-that-would-rank-web-pages-based-on-how-many-other-web-pages-linked-back-to-them.jpg" alt="" />
<br/><br/><h3>Page and Brin's first office was actually their two Stanford dorm rooms. The "BackRub" name didn't last long, as they decided that a "googol," or the number one with a hundred zeroes after it, better reflected the amount of data they were trying to sift through. The slightly friendlier name "Google" was chosen for the fledgling company.</h3>
<img src="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/5616f92cbd86ef18008c0837-400-300/page-and-brins-first-office-was-actually-their-two-stanford-dorm-rooms-the-backrub-name-didnt-last-long-as-they-decided-that-a-googol-or-the-number-one-with-a-hundred-zeroes-after-it-better-reflected-the-amount-of-data-they-were-trying-to-sift-through-the-slightly-friendlier-name-google-was-chosen-for-the-fledgling-company.jpg" alt="" />
<br/><br/><h3>The first-ever Google server was built in a custom case made out of Legos and housed on the Stanford campus. At first, it was just at google.stanford.edu, but the Google.com domain name was registered on September 15th, 1997.</h3>
<img src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/56171251bd86efa15c8b566c-400-300/the-first-ever-google-server-was-built-in-a-custom-case-made-out-of-legos-and-housed-on-the-stanford-campus-at-first-it-was-just-at-googlestanfordedu-but-the-googlecom-domain-name-was-registered-on-september-15th-1997.jpg" alt="" />
<br/><br/><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/google-history-in-photos-2016-10#/#eventually-google-drained-too-much-of-stanfords-bandwidth-and-the-it-department-kicked-them-out-page-and-brin-relocated-the-fledgling-company-in-the-garage-of-future-google-employee-and-youtube-head-susan-wojcicki-4">See the rest of the story at Business Insider</a> http://www.businessinsider.com/what-successful-people-do-on-weekends-2016-9What Mark Cuban, Richard Branson, and 13 other successful people do on weekendshttp://www.businessinsider.com/what-successful-people-do-on-weekends-2016-9
Sat, 17 Sep 2016 10:30:00 -0400Rachel Gillett
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/5723cdd652bcd025008c0006-4120-3090/rtr3qs4n.jpg" alt="Mark Cuban" data-mce-source="USA TODAY SPORTS/Reuters Pictures" /></p><p>For some, the weekend's a sacred retreat from the hustle and bustle of work.</p>
<p>F<span style="line-height: 1.5em;">or others, the weekend is a myth &mdash; Saturday and Sunday are mere extensions of the workweek and a chance to get ahead of the competition.</span></p>
<p>Judging from the ways successful people spend their &mdash; at least theoretical &mdash; time away from work, there really is no right or wrong way to structure your weekends. It's all about striking the right balance for<em> you</em>.</p>
<p>Here's how some of the most successful people do it:</p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/successful-people-who-wake-up-really-early-2016-9" >23 successful people who wake up incredibly early</a></strong></p>
<p><strong>DON'T MISS:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/what-highly-successful-people-read-every-morning-2016-9" >What 13 highly successful people read every morning</a></strong></p>
<h3>Richard Branson hangs out on his island in the Caribbean</h3>
<img src="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/5661ba07c2814427018b76c3-400-300/richard-branson-hangs-out-on-his-island-in-the-caribbean.jpg" alt="" />
<p><p>While Branson <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/my-perfect-weekend/8636955/My-perfect-weekend-Richard-Branson.html">told The Telegraph</a> he&nbsp;spends half the year traveling the world on business trips, he said he spends the other half&nbsp;on his tiny private Caribbean island,&nbsp;Necker.</p>
<p>"I know I shouldn't, but I still like to party on Friday nights," he admitted. The business mogul said he&nbsp;dances until the wee hours of the morning to the sounds of the island's band, the Front Line, and heads to the&nbsp;crow's nest on his roof around 2 a.m. to watch the stars.</p>
<p>Despite being up late, Branson still wakes up early, usually before everyone else, and&nbsp;goes for a swim around the island.</p>
<p>"It's exquisitely beautiful; I'll see spotted eagle rays, giant leatherback turtles and a number of species of shark, such as nurse sharks and lemon sharks," <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/my-perfect-weekend/8636955/My-perfect-weekend-Richard-Branson.html">he told The Telegraph</a>. "It's not frightening; if you're swimming with sharks they don't tend to bother you at all, it's only if they mistake you for a seal that they might have a nip."</p>
<p>His morning swim is usually followed by a healthy breakfast of&nbsp;fruit salad&nbsp;or&nbsp;natural muesli, though on occasion he spoils himself with kippers or an English breakfast.</p>
<p>The day's activities could include tennis, kitesurfing, scuba diving, or hanging out with dolphins and whales in his tiny submarine. But Branson said afternoons are always spent on the beach, oftentimes playing chess with his kids.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Saturday evenings consist of more partying, and Sundays include rock jumping, paddle boarding, and boat&nbsp;races,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/my-perfect-weekend/8636955/My-perfect-weekend-Richard-Branson.html">Branson told The Telegraph</a></p></p>
<br/><br/><h3>Elon Musk spends time with his children</h3>
<img src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/546a6f886bb3f7410fe71dce-400-300/elon-musk-spends-time-with-his-children.jpg" alt="" />
<p><p>Musk, <span>the billionaire CEO of <span>SpaceX and Tesla</span>,</span>&nbsp;has five sons, with whom,&nbsp;<a href="http://mashable.com/2012/04/13/elon-musk-secrets-of-effectiveness/">he told Mashable</a>, he hangs out on the weekends.</p>
<p>But&nbsp;he also admitted at <a href="https://vimeo.com/65395321">South by Southwest in 2013</a> that some of this "quality time" is spent sending emails.</p>
<p>"Because they don't need constant interaction, except when we're talking directly," he said. "I find I can be with them and still be working at the same time."</p></p>
<br/><br/><h3>Arianna Huffington catches up on email</h3>
<img src="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/5493050f69bedd9405bd4e5c-400-300/arianna-huffington-catches-up-on-email.jpg" alt="" />
<p><p>Though she admits that she likes to go through her inbox on Saturdays, the Huffington Post cofounder&nbsp;has said&nbsp;she never expects a response from her staff.</p>
<p>"If I send an email at 11&nbsp;at night, it's to get it off my to-do list, but I don't expect a reply," <a href="http://mashable.com/2013/01/14/arianna-huffington-gps-for-the-soul/">she told Mashable</a>. "And I make that very clear, I don't expect replies over the weekend."</p></p>
<br/><br/><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/what-successful-people-do-on-weekends-2016-9#/#jack-dorsey-hikes-and-prepares-for-the-week-4">See the rest of the story at Business Insider</a>